I DO . . . what????

After standing in front of everyone you know in what would otherwise be considered a ridiculously big white gown, there is a bombardment of suprises, wake up calls, and head scratching.

6.29.2007

Sometimes Life Is Like . . .

. . . the really big hedges in front of your new next door rental property.you know, the one you were really excited about before you owned and had to remove the hedgesthat were probably planted in 1953, when the house was built.

those are old hedges, in case you were not certain.and so they have really long, gangly, tangly roots that twist and turn and make things unpredictableand you have to pull them out so that your rental property is not ugly.

because really,who likes an ugly rental property?no one, that's who.

truth be told,herb has been the one ROCKING the bushes!so really, from personal experience,life is more like many layers of 60's and 80's inspired wallpaperhung without first priming the walls because all you can think about is how lovely the burnt sienna and maize print will complement you brand new kitchen carpet with the beautiful faux-parquet wood pattern.and you don't have time to think about priming.

yep, i said kitchen carpet.carpet which, by the way,you felt was a much much better alternativeto the beautiful wooden floors that you covered.so you secure it with glue and tar and layers of thin ply wood and foam that will be crumblyand difficult to peel up in 45 years.

6.19.2007

***RAI*** (Random Act of iTunes!)

after i checked outi received an emailthat told methat they wanted to give me THREE FREE SONGS FROM ITUNESthere they were . . . the three little codes to enter to redeem free musiceven cooler

guess what?i want to give those songs to YOU, dear reader!

so, leave a commenttelling me the first concert you ever went toand on friday morning,i will pick a name

and forward my three free iTunes to you!to redeem any old way you choose!

(confession: my first concert ever was in the 6th grade . . . New Kids on the Block . . . does that date me or what!?!?!for my 16th birthday, i was able to take a bunch of girlfriends to go see The Steve Miller Band . . . that, my friends, was my first exposure to pot . . . it was being smoked by the adults on the blanket next to us who were our parents ages. it was really wierd.)

some things that are making me smile

things i have been working on . . . things i have around me that bring a little sunshine . . .

one of my favorite flowers was in fully bloom last week!i love peonies! they are like the ecentric, edgy cousin of the rose!

a canvas i am working on for kelly's studio

a little motivator . . . good words

a little thought that rolled out of my head when i should have been sleeping

this sweet little "curly girl" card . . . if you don't know curly girl you must immediately open another tab and check her out!!!(but come back and finish reading my blog, okay?)

and finally, some pics from my beautiful red book where i keep little tidbits and snippets that inspire me! you could call it an inspiration book if you like.or georgeor stellawhatever.she's not pickybut she IS pretty!

his words . . .

back in february,i was sitting in the play therapy room at work with my colleagues and our spouses.

it was our christmas party

because we are therapists, we don't care about things like having christmas parties in the correct month.

and because we are therapists, we do things at christmas parties that most people wouldn't.

like take an hour and a half, cocktails in hand, to encourage one another.as a staff, we shared all of the things that we admire and respect about our colleagues & team mates.

then our spouses got to speak.and they were asked to share a trait that we have that is a contribution to our team . . .and THEN . . .an area THEY would like to see us grow or push ourselves . . .PROFESSIONALLY!

it was a gusty move on the part of the conductor of ceremonies!but it was cool.

i remember everything herb said.

"cara loves helping people learn about therapy - she is always so excited and pumped up after a team meeting. i would like to see her push herself a little and share her gifts more."

it is amazing what the words of a spouse can do to a person.

it can break a person down.

or it can build a person up.it can give a person the courage they need to take a risky step.because they know they are supported and lovedby someone who believes in them

because somebody thinks they have something worth sharing

so i did iti created an internship program for Foundations Family Counselinga Master's level, year long internship programfor counseling students

i wrote curriculumi marketed to schoolsi interviewed candidatesi made binders with lots of information and i bought snacks

because snacks are important

and yesterday,for 6 hours,i led the first day of orientationfor my first class of interns!

looking back

a fun little question posed on this blog today led me to dig into my pictures to see what i was doing a year ago today i didn't take anything on june 7th last yearbut these were taken saturday june 10, 2006 at the estes park beer festival

all you need to know . . .

is that as i sat toward the front of the movie theatreand craned my head backi saw plenty of light reflecting off of the metal emblems centered on the foreheadsof children, tweens, and teenagers alike

me: "are those people wearing headbands?"herb: "yes. yes they are."

i kept my hand secured on herb's forearm most of the eveningto ensure that i didn't laugh outloud.instead, i just dug my fingers into his flesh.

you also need to know that people were cheering throughout this filmwe waited for the prompts of our seatmates(who, impressively, did not take us up on our offer to sit behind them!)before hooting or hollering.

my 15 year old friend was sweet and funny her companion (whom i was brashly informed "is NOT my boyfriend")was equally sweet, funny, and charming.and he shared his mozeralla cheese sticks with me at Red Robin.

on the way home, i told herb"i don't know how B wouldn't like him.i am a grown, married woman, and i had a crush on him within 10 minutes!"

6.04.2007

love is . . .

going to a movie that you would never watch on your ownnopenot in a million yearsbut you goyou always goyou've seen king kongand the hulkand ghost rider

and now she wants to see narutoyou don't care about this filmbut you will go see itand your husband will go with youbecause there is a 15 year old girl that you really love and she really loves japanimationand her mom won't let her go see a movie with a boywithout an adult

so here we gothe chosen oneswednesday nightdouble date with a pair of 15-year-olds to a japanimation film